At my age, it’s pretty rare when I am pulled back into the earliest movies I ever watched in my youth; ones where I felt a connecting moment or moments to events or characters. In a strange coincidence, that happened twice in 24 hours last week.
When I first watched The Poseidon Adventure in 1972, Reverend Scott’s character fascinated me. He was gruff, but strong and brave; and he was handsome in that turtleneck. He was played by Gene Hackman.
My jaw had dropped when, in the climactic scene, he jumps across flames to reach a steam valve to shut it off. He’s swinging and turning it. It’s hot, but he does it. That action is the last step before the survivors reach safety. He’s yelling at God for those who were lost to get there, but he still manages to motivate the remaining survivors to get to safety. Then, he just falls into the flames. He sacrifices himself. His strength was a moment to take in for this teenage girl.
In fact, I was also mad, or maybe frustrated, with God then, too. And I think I also performed a bit of transference in my mind and wanted my dad to be more like the Reverend. I wanted him to lead and be a protector; to be strong. He had many wonderful qualities, but not those.
Even with a multitude of more ambitious, winning roles, Gene Hackman, with his enduring integrity, made a lasting impression on me in this one and the news last week was quite sad.
And it was just the night before when my husband and I had attended an evening show with a female impressionist. Her name was Karen Grainger, and she was impersonating the musical talents of such iconic artists like Cher, Tina Turner, Patti LaBelle and Whitney Houston. Both she and the audience were having a good time.
She then started a set by selecting one or two women from each decade from the 60s to the 2000s.
And that’s when she began a song I haven’t heard in over 40 years.
“But how do you thank someone
Who has taken you from crayons to perfume?
It isn’t easy, but I’ll try…”
She was singing the massive hit “To Sir with Love” sung by the incomparable Lulu. Wow. I adored this song. I’m not sure whether my dad had her album, and I learned the lyrics that way or maybe it was taught in music class, but I was lost in that theater, softly singing every word, swept back to a time when I wanted to be a hip British singer. But much more important than that, I thought of the movie for which the song was written: To Sir with Love.
The movie came out in 1967 and it starred Sidney Poitier as a new teacher to troubled youth in the East End of London. They had no respect for him or each other. But as we watch it, we begin to see the goodness and strengths of each student.
Poitier’s Mr. Thackery proved to be an excellent role model, very inspiring, and I love how much he brought out from these students. From better hygiene to career goals to respecting and supporting each other (one student’s mother dies), it’s really quite a movie. Sidney Poitier is incredible. I actually re-watched it and he blew me away.
And although I was far from being a troubled student in a poor end of a major city, I understood and connected with being an outsider; needing someone to see me. I attended a private girls’ school and entered in 7th grade while others had been there since kindergarten. Many of them came from wealthy families; I did not. Plus, I had that dreadful family secret about drinking, which separated me further. I found my way eventually, but it took time, patience from some teachers and the realization that other classmates held secrets too.
We just never know when a meaningful moment is going to strike, and we never know it’s medium. Movies are right up there, alongside books and music, where certain moments will ignite something in us, making us feel something. Often, we don’t realize that we do it, but we tuck it away because it means something.
We may forget it for a year or 40, but then, for whatever reason, it’s pulled out from dormancy and in an instant, it is there and ready to feel the emotion, the sadness or joy, the connection all over again. That power is almost scary, but it’s beautiful too. I never thought I would or could return and ponder these particular moments again, but they are small gifts; reminders of what we were thinking and feeling, and who we were so long ago.
Below: To Sir with Love movie clips with song, Lulu performing To Sir with Love, and Gene Hackman’s final scene as Reverend Scott
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